2012 Women’s Soccer National Championship Qualifiers Announced

Eight teams punch tickets for the first time

November 11, 2012

By Alan Grosbach, Manager of Communications and Sports Information

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially released the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship qualifiers for the 29th annual event. The 31-team tournament will get underway with the National Championship Opening Round at 15 campus locations on Nov. 17. The 15 Opening Round winners, as well as host Mobile (Ala.), will advance to the national championship final site from Nov. 26 - Dec. 1 in Orange Beach, Ala.

The national championship bracket will be released Monday at 2 p.m. CST.

Four-time defending national champion Lee (Tenn.) earned a trip after winning both the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament and regular-season titles. The Lady Flames, who enter the tournament with a 20-match postseason win streak, are 1-of-5 qualifiers to have won at least one national championship. Westmont (Calif.), an at-large selection out of the Golden State Athletic Conference, boasts the most national crowns amongst the field with five.

This year's 31 teams include 24 automatic qualifiers, - awarded to conference/independent/unaffiliated group tournament and regular-season champions - six at-large bids and one host berth. There are 17 teams that qualified for the 2011 championship and are back again this year.

The six at-large teams were selected based on the final official NAIA Women's Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI). The MRPI consists of the team's modified winning percentage, their opponents' winning percentage and the cumulative ratings points from the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Each of the three values has a weighted percentage calculated in the MRPI. The MRPI modifies the value of home/away/neutral results and adds more value for games against opponents ranked in their respective national poll. To view the final MRPI, please click here.

Three of this year's qualifiers have made 10-or-more national championship appearances, led by Westmont with 15. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is second with 14 trips to the event, while Concordia (Ore.) rests third with 12.

NeuLion, the NAIA's official video-streaming company of 12 select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting all final site games of the 2012 Women's Soccer National Championship. Single day packages can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament pass is available for $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.

2012 Women's Soccer National Championship Qualifiers

School

Qualification

Record^

Championship Appearances

Last Time

Championship Record

Titles

Ashford (Iowa)

Association of Independent Institutions Tournament Champion

13-4-2

2nd

2010

0-1-0

0

Baker (Kan.)

At-Large No. 3

12-6-1

3rd

2011

5-1-1

0

Bellevue (Neb.)

Midlands Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion

13-3-1

3rd

2011

0-1-1

0

Benedictine (Kan.)

At-Large No. 5

15-2-3

2nd

2008

0-1-0

0

Cal State San Marcos

At-Large No. 6

11-5-3

4th

2011

1-3-0

0

Carlow (Pa.)

Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Tournament Champion

14-1-1

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Concordia (Ore.)

Cascade Collegiate Tournament Champion

15-2-2

12th

2011

21-11-2

0

Cumberland (Tenn.)

Mid-South Tournament Champion

18-2-0

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Davenport (Mich.)

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Tournament Champion

17-2-1

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Doane (Neb.)

Great Plains Athletic Tournament Champion

14-5-0

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Embry-Riddle (Ariz.)

California Pacific Tournament Champion

13-4-3

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Embry-Riddle (Fla.)

The Sun Tournament Champion

15-5-0

8th

2011

3-8-0

0

Faulkner (Ala.)

Southern States Athletic Tournament Runner-Up

7-11-2

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Graceland (Iowa)

Heart of America Athletic Tournament Champion

17-2-1

7th

2011

6-4-4

0

Kansas Wesleyan

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion

19-1-0

4th

2010

1-3-1

0

Lee (Tenn.)

Southern States Athletic Tournament Champion

17-1-1

9th

2011

26-3-2

4

Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)

At-Large No. 1

15-4-1

14th

2011

23-12-2

2

Martin Methodist (Tenn.)

Unaffiliated Group (Frontier/TranSouth) Tournament Champion

15-3-0

9th

2011

14-4-3

2

Mobile (Ala.)

Host Berth

15-3-2

7th

2011

12-5-0

1

Montreat (N.C.)

Appalachian Athletic Tournament Champion

13-3-5

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Northwood (Fla.)

The Sun Regular Season Champion

13-4-2

6th

2011

4-6-0

0

Oklahoma City

Sooner Athletic Tournament Champion

19-1-0

7th

2011

6-6-2

0

Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Regular Season Champion

16-3-0

3rd

2011

1-2-0

0

Park (Mo.)

American Midwest Tournament Champion

12-6-0

9th

2008

4-9-2

0

Robert Morris (Ill.)

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Tournament Champion

14-6-0

7th

2011

6-5-1

0

Spring Arbor (Mich.)

Crossroads League Tournament Champion

17-2-1

4th

2011

1-3-0

0

Texas at Brownsville

Red River Athletic Tournament Champion

14-3-1

3rd

2011

0-2-0

0

Vanguard (Calif.)

Golden State Athletic Tournament Champion

16-2-0

2nd

2009

1-1-0

0

Viterbo (Wis.)

Midwest Collegiate Tournament Champion

15-2-1

1st

-

0-0-0

0

Westmont (Calif.)

At-Large No. 4

12-5-1

15th

2011

28-5-6

5

William Carey (Miss.)

At-Large No. 2

14-4-1

5th

2010

5-4-1

0

^Records as of Nov. 11, as submitted by the school using Dakstats Web-sync process

WOMEN'S SOCCER

Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) won the 2014 Women's Soccer National Championship.